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The differences between technical support representatives and help desk representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical support representative and a help desk representative. Additionally, a help desk representative has an average salary of $37,449, which is higher than the $34,758 average annual salary of a technical support representative.
The top three skills for a technical support representative include customer calls, smartphones and technical support calls. The most important skills for a help desk representative are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Representative | Help Desk Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $34,758 | $37,449 |
| Hourly rate | $16.71 | $18.00 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 212,082 | 51,501 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical Support Representatives specialize in customer support through calls or correspondence. Among the primary responsibilities of a Technical Support Representative involves receiving and making calls, address and troubleshoot issues raised by the client, assist when navigating through complicated applications, provide suggestions or recommendations, or elevate the problem to personnel with higher expertise when necessary. Furthermore, a Technical Support Representative must coordinate with supervisors at all times, remain patient and proactive, and as well as maintain and organize records of each handled calls.
A help desk representative mainly provides client support services through face-to-face interactions, aiming to resolve issues and concerns to ensure client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include answering inquiries, assisting clients in filling up forms, identifying their needs, providing detailed solutions, and referring them to other services as needed. Aside from face-to-face interactions, there are also instances where a help desk representative may provide services through calls and correspondence, troubleshoot problems, and provide step-by-step instructions according to the clients' needs.
Technical support representatives and help desk representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Representative | Help Desk Representative | |
| Average salary | $34,758 | $37,449 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $29,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Stow, OH |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | HP | City of Jacksonville |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support representative and a help desk representative in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Representative | Help Desk Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support representatives' and help desk representatives' demographics:
| Technical Support Representative | Help Desk Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |